


Day 7 - Trust

by moshimichi



Series: ZarcRay Week 2018 [7]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 18:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14086626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moshimichi/pseuds/moshimichi
Summary: Ray needs a protector and the best way to start any relationship is with trust.





	Day 7 - Trust

“And here are our quadripedal Guardians. Very obedient, but they aren’t the most…intelligent of the bunch.”

Ray tried her best not to stare, even as she heard the sniff of disdain from Himika. The Guardians were in a poor state, unwashed and locked inside cages that were much too small. Some were injured and she couldn’t help it as her gaze was drawn to one of the canines, the creature letting out a quiet whine as it licked at its bleeding flank.

‘Guardian’ was just a poor attempt to get away from the term ‘slave.’ Magical creatures bound to their buyers by magic, they were typically used for protection and were extremely expensive to purchase.

Of course, high prices meant nothing to royalty.

“Ray.” She pulled her eyes away from the miserable sight to meet the soft gaze of the king. Leo gestured at the Guardians, expression questioning. “How about these?”

The princess glanced back at the unfortunate beings, eyes full of guilt. While the head of the last store had treated the Guardians well, the current one just didn’t seem to care for the poor things. If only she could free them all. However, it was illegal in their kingdom to purchase Guardians they had no potential of forming a magical bond with. It was an attempt to prevent collectors and those of the unpleasant sort from hording for themselves Guardians they had no magical—and therefore emotional—bond with.

“I feel nothing, Father,” she said softly. What a contradictory statement. It was true she didn’t feel even the slightest glimmer of a bond, but she felt so, so much. Along with her own pity and guilt towards the creatures’ living situation, she could feel the Guardians’ pain and anxiety as well. With her empathy on overdrive and so much negative emotions lingering in the air, her mental barrier was being run ragged.

“This is the fifth store we’ve been to already,” Leo sighed. Even he could feel the agitated irritation rolling off his queen in waves. If they didn’t find one for Ray soon, they would have to assign her a team of knights and limit her freedom. Something he knew she would fight against. Turning to the store owner, he asked, “Do you have nothing else?”

The portly man hesitated, turmoil and greed in his beady little eyes. Evidently, greed won out.

“We do have one more,” he said, rubbing his hands nervously. “But it’s a troublesome one and highly uncooperative. If you want to try nonetheless…”

“Show us,” Leo ordered. The owner bobbed his head in a short little bow and scampered off. They followed him deeper into the building, eventually going down some stairs to a floor lower down. Many floors down, actually.

Reaching what might have been the fifth floor, they finally arrived at what seemed to be their destination. A single steel door was set in the wall, runes of silence rendering the room beyond it completely soundproof.

“A warning, your highnesses,” the owner said, keys jingling as he pulled them out. “This particular Guardian is aggressive at best and quite loud about it. Best brace your ears.”

The door was opened and Ray was floored with a sudden rush of  _want_. Her breath escaped her and, eyes wide, she rushed inside with the desperate desire to see her Bonded, paying no heed to her parents’ startled protests.

Chained against the wall sat a humanoid figure. Loud snarls distorted his features, volume high enough that her eardrums throbbed with the sound. Sharp teeth gnashed, gnawing at the metal bar shoved harshly into his maw, and dark, mussed feathers bristled in agitation. Her eyes roamed over silver hair, pretty even unkempt, and the smaller wings jutting from elfin ears before meeting yellow, yellow eyes that swirled with want and rejection even as her own purple flickered in them. She was sure even without a mirror that her own were flashing with this Guardian’s yellow as well.

“Ray, stay back,” Leo commanded. He grasped her shoulder and tugged in an attempt to pull her behind him. To his surprise, however, she didn’t budge, staying put with a strength that was beyond her slim frame.

Ray was drawing strength from the creature, he realized. He pulled again, harder this time, and the chained being snarled even louder before, a rattling hiss mixed in. The king jolted and met the Guardian’s eyes.

_Do not touch what is mine!_

The princess stepped forward, pulling away from her father’s limp grasp. The winged being pressed back into the wall as she approached. Alas, he couldn’t get away from the girl and could only growl at her as she knelt before him.

“Hush,” she soothed. “I know it hurts. You can feel them, too, can’t you?”

Ray waited patiently as the growls gradually died down to a quiet rumble. She reached up, movements slow, and as he showed no negative reaction lovingly cupped his cheeks. The princess smiled as he pressed lightly into her touch, seemingly unable to help himself, and wished she could unchain him and rid him of that horrid gag. But gaining her Bonded’s trust took priority for now.

“I know it hurts,” she repeated, holding his gaze. “I can feel them, too. They’re in so, so much pain. And I will do as much as I can to help them. But please, selfish as it is, let me help you first. Let me bond with you.”

The suspicion still hasn’t faded from his eyes. She could tell he still expected her to hurt him. But how could she? She would never understand how people who could feel their bond could ever hurt their Bonded. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead, letting her mental walls down and her affection come flooding out. The creature twitched, tensing in surprise.

“I will never hurt you,” Ray promised. “Please trust me.”

He stayed frozen for the longest moment. But finally,  _finally_ , he relaxed, melting into her touch. A faint brush against her mind, gentle but no longer hesitant, gave her all she needed to know. Warmth filled her heart and she pressed a kiss to his lips around the gag still on his face.

“Thank you, Zarc.”

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on tumblr [here](http://moshimichi.tumblr.com/post/172210208171/day-7-trust).


End file.
